Hieromonk Athanase Bukin

I am deeply grateful to the University of Nicosia for the opportunity to be counted among its students and later its alumni. My studies there opened possibilities that would otherwise have remained inaccessible. I owe particular thanks to the staff of the Theology Department, whose support guided me throughout my time at the University, including but not limited to my supervisor, Professor Nicos Nicolaides, and the ever-helpful Mr Loucas Panayiotou, as well as the distinguished visiting professors invited from many parts of the world. 

Equally valuable for me was the fact that the programme was taught in Greek. This allowed me to deepen my knowledge of the language and prepared me for my subsequent four years of work as an interpreter for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem (2019–2022). The education I received at UNIC later enabled me to enter first the Abridged Research Master programme and then the Doctoral programme at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven, one of Europe’s most prestigious universities. 

Without UNIC, I would be neither where I am now nor who I am now. I hope that future generations will continue to value the education offered by the University of Nicosia and the many opportunities it provides to its alumni.